Before the 242nd straight crowd of at least 100,000 at Michigan Stadium, the Wolverines recorded their 900th victory of all-time thanks to a 38-yard field goal from kicker Brendan Gibbons with just five seconds remaining in the contest. Michigan took a 6-0 lead into halftime with 24- and 48-yard field goals from Gibbons and Matt Wile, respectively. MSU scored the only touchdown of the game in the third quarter to take a 7-6 lead, and the teams traded three-point scores in the fourth quarter with the Spartans taking a 10-9 lead at the 5:48 mark, before the deciding kick sealed U-M's victory.

For the fifth consecutive game, the Michigan defense held its opponent to 13 points or less. Leading the way were linebackers Jake Ryan, with 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, and Desmond Morgan with 11 takedowns. MSU also had a pair of double-digit tacklers in Denicos Allen (11) and Max Bullough (10). U-M quarterback Denard Robinsoncompiled 163 yards through the air and 96 on the ground, while his counterpart, Andrew Maxwell, threw for 192 yards and the touchdown.

The Wolverines rolled to a commanding 35-7 third-quarter lead before another capacity crowd at the Big House. Michigan got a pair of touchdowns from Tony Boles and single markers from Desmond Howard (on a pass from Michael Taylor), Chris Calloway (on a pass from Elvis Grbac) and Leroy Hoard. But Purdue's freshman quarterback Eric Hunter made things interesting with three fourth-quarter touchdown passes. Boles' third touchdown, an 85-yard kickoff in the final period, proved the key to victory for the Wolverines.

Hunter was by far the star of the game, completing 27-of-34 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns in an exceptional performance. Wide receiver Calvin Williams hauled in 13 of Hunter's passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns. The Boilermakers aided the Michigan cause by committing five turnovers -- three lost fumbles and two interceptions.

The 1989 Wolverines went on to win the Big Ten championship for the 13th time under head coach Bo Schembechler, who closed out a 21-year coaching career at Michigan.

WIN NO. 500By Bob Rosiek

Ron Johnson with Tom Curtis for his induction into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.

Illinois jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half on a pair of touchdown runs of 15 and seven yards by halfback Rich Johnson. It looked like things were headed their way on a cloudy and cool afternoon in Champaign. But never-say-die Michigan came to life in the second half and staged a dramatic comeback to take home the victory and stun the Memorial Stadium gathering.

A third-quarter seven-yard scoring pass from quarterback Dennis Brown to split end Jim Berline put the Wolverines on the scoreboard. Minutes later, U-M tied things up on a 60-yard punt return by George Hoey. Tailback Ron Johnson broke the deadlock early in the final period with a three-yard touchdown run to complete a 44-yard drive.

From that point on, the Michigan defense took over and held the Illini in check. Illinois aided the Michigan cause with six turnovers - four interceptions and two lost fumbles. Safety Tom Curtis picked off three of the Illinois aerials. The 14-point comeback by Bump Elliott's Wolverines tied a school record set in 1939 against Ohio State and matched in 1955 against Iowa.

WIN NO. 300By Bob Rosiek

Oct. 1, 1932Michigan 26, MSC 0Michigan Stadium (33.786)

In what was expected to be a close game, Harry Kipke's Michigan squad rambled past Jim Crowley's Michigan State team to open the 1932 season. The Wolverines dominated on offense with a 16-2 advantage on first downs and scored a touchdown in each quarter. On defense, Michigan held the Spartans in check from start to finish and never allowed them to cross midfield. Fullback John Regeczi and halfbacks Stan Fay and Jack Heston scored touchdowns on short runs, and halfback Chris Everhardus tallied the game's final marker on a crowd-pleasing 30-yard run. All-America quarterback Harry Newman's passing, his 35-yard punt return to set up a score, and Regeczi's punting, were key factors in Michigan's one-sided triumph.

Newman went on to be named the Big Ten Conference's Most Valuable Player and won the Fairbanks Trophy, forerunner to the Heisman Trophy. The Wolverines completed a perfect 8-0 season and yielded just 13 points along the way. They won their third consecutive conference title and were named national champions.

In the second game of the 1901 season, the first of Fielding Yost's famed "Point-A-Minute" teams easily took the measure of Case College of Cleveland. The game was almost cancelled when an argument developed about one of officials, but matters were finally settled and play began. Halfback sensation Willie Heston led the high-powered Wolverines with four touchdowns (all in the second half). Neil Snow and Everett Sweeley tallied twice, and captain Hugh White and Dan Woodard each had single markers. Quarterback Boss Weeks effectively directed the Michigan attack. The Wolverines stopped the Roughriders at every turn, never allowing them to cross midfield and holding them to just one first down. For the second week in a row, playing time was shortened to 40 minutes from the usual 70. Yost's Wolverines went on to complete a perfect 11-0 season and outscore their opponents by the remarkable count of 550-0. They won the first Tournament of Roses game at Pasadena with a lopsided victory over Stanford, were named national champions, and are widely recognized as one of college football's all-time great teams.